Hangzhou
\nDuring the Asian Games men\u2019s football final on Saturday, South Korea fought back to overcome Japan 2-1, winning a third straight gold medal in the competition and earning its players a highly sought-after exemption from mandatory military duty.
\nLee Kang In, who joined Paris St Germain (PSG) from Spanish side Mallorca started against Japan but Korea found themselves a goal down after less than two minutes.
\nThey levelled midway through the first half through Stuttgart forward Jeong Woo-yeong \u2014 his tournament-leading eighth goal \u2014 before Cho Young-wook struck the winner 10 minutes after the break.
\nWhile the historic win marked the team\u2019s third gold medal in Asian Games football in a row, it was also a meaningful one for the team for a different reason.
\nThe win secures South Korea\u2019s entire 22-man squad exemptions from the country\u2019s compulsory military service, enhancing their chances of a prolonged career in the game\u2019s leading leagues in Europe, Reuters reported.
\nAdditionally, PSG\u2019s attacking midfielder Lee Kang In, was granted a leave pass from the French club to compete at the Games.
\nThe exemption from mandatory military service means Lee can expand his career in other countries, following in the footsteps of Tottenham forward Son Heung Min, who won gold in Jakarta in 2018 and was also exempted from compulsory military service.
\nCoach Hwang said the exemption was \u201cvery different from playing football\u201d and has high hopes for Lee\u2019s future, AFP reported.
\n\u201cAs long as the player has the Taeguk Warriors emblem on his shirt, he has the right and responsibility to play for Korea and play for its glory,\u201d he said. \u201cI am expecting his future success.\u201d
\nJapan took the lead when Uchino slotted in his early strike after Kein Sato had outsprinted the defence to find Masato Shigemi, who fed Uchino to score.
\nSouth Korea\u2019s Cho and Jung Ho Yeon both tried their luck before Jeong levelled the scores in the 27th minute, rising above Manato Yoshida to nod in a cross from Hwang Jae Won.
\nFullback Hwang was also involved in the winner, cutting through the Japanese defence to lay possession off to Jeong whose touch allowed Cho to put his side ahead.
\nMoreover, Uzbekistan won the bronze medal earlier in the day, with Khusain Norchaev scoring twice as the Central Asians handed Hong Kong a 4-0 defeat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hangzhou During the Asian Games men\u2019s football final on Saturday, South Korea fought back to overcome Japan 2-1, winning a third straight gold medal in the competition and earning its players a highly sought-after exemption from mandatory military duty. Lee Kang In, who joined Paris St Germain (PSG) from Spanish side Mallorca started against Japan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":360368,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-360349","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n